Pit Bulls Kill Iraq Vet's Beloved Therapy Dog

DECATUR, GA — A veteran of the war in Iraq now living in DeKalb County is hoping authorities will find the stray dogs she says mauled to death her therapy support dog.

WSB-TV reports that Cherice Jackson was walking with Ms. Pooh — her therapy dog which was being reviewed in order to become her official support animal — in Decatur on Friday morning when they were attacked by two stray dogs she thinks were pit bulls.

She fought back, but the tiny dog couldn't be saved.

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"I spent probably 20, 30 minutes trying to wrestle her from him," Jackson told WSB's Justin Wilfon. "It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I felt like I couldn’t do anything. I feel like I failed her."

Jackson told the station that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and that Ms. Pooh comforted her. According to the Top Dog Canine Foundation in Stone Mountain, Jackson already had scheduled an appointment with the group to evaluate Ms. Pooh in order to officially declare her a service dog.

Service dogs are used to decrease anxiety and depression for people including service members suffering from PTSD. According to Top Dog, Jackson was a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a 10-year military veteran.

On Twitter, Jackson's user name is "MsPooh1226" and one of her earliest posts is a photo of her with Ms. Pooh.

Top Dog is raising money to pay for a new service dog for Jackson. DeKalb County Animal Control has placed traps trying to capture the dogs that attacked Ms. Pooh.

Photo courtesy Top Dog Canine Foundation